Neptune: The Odyssey
by SLONE13
Summary: '"He only told us so we could get a better understanding, Annabeth. You remember the prophecy Rachel recited, right?" She might have nodded. "Then you know that she might be who the prophecy is talking about…" I had no idea who they were speaking about, but a nagging feeling in the back of my mind screamed—a whisper sort of scream—that it was me… Certainly, I am not ready.'
1. Chapter 1

Evaris POV

I am Evaristos Anasilus, but loved ones may call me Evaris. My hair is six inches from the ground; a honey-brown in which my mother loved to twirl in her fingers, and my brothers to mess when telling stories to I. My eyes are a blue-green/blue-gray color (I do not know the official name). I suppose my eyes come from my father's, but it comes from both my parents. I am twelve years young, but have the mind of a young adult. It sounds conceded, but it is true…at least, that is what my brothers say.

My brothers are Caius Anasilus, the younger of the two; and Decimus Anasilus, the eldest of the two. Decimus has shoulder-length honey-brown hair as I, blue-green/blue-gray eyes like our parents, and is twenty-five with a lovely wife. He is tall and muscular, like all soldiers of my father are. His skin is tan, like our father. Caius has cropped blond hair with curls like no other, blue-green/blue-gray eyes as his parents and siblings, and is twenty-two with no wife or woman lover, but a male instead; he is gay. He is tall like Decimus, with slim muscles, like any scholars of my father. His skin is pale, like our mother and I.

I am speaking off memory because I have not seen my brothers, my mother, or my father in nine years, eleven months, one week, and three days. It is strange how I have stayed twelve years young after nine additional years (or ten), but that is what the Lotus Hotel and Casino does to you; it stops time as there are no clocks or windows. Strange enough, my physical appearance did not age, but my mind had, and now I can finally call myself wise.

The year I checked into the hotel was…let me think…2088 BC? Yes. That was it.

The hotel was located in the desert on the outer boarders of Greece. A very strange place to put a hotel, but I was only twelve, and I was curious. When I stepped inside, with the company of Caius and Decimus, my curious became extravagantly rich, and I wanted to explore the entire building and play every game I saw…

The rest is a blur, but I think I recall my two brothers urging me to play and play and play. They wore headband-like crowns, given to them by either mother or father, I think. They didn't seem interested in any game that was shown, nor did they eat a lotus pastry a young woman brought for them. I did, and I loved it…

That was the earliest memory I have of my life, but anything earlier, I cannot recall. I do remember my mother, my father, and my two brothers, but it is very faint and sometimes I get scared because I cannot reminisce their faces every now and then. So, after almost ten years of playing and playing and playing, I was checked out of the Lotus Hotel and Casino by a young man with cropped blond hair with curls like no other, blue-green/blue-gray eyes, and who seemed to be in his early twenties. He called himself Caius, but I did not know him, because I had been asleep for nine years, eleven months, one week, and three days.

I was asleep for 4,105 years.

Caius brought me out, paying the man at the counter with ten golden coins, and I woke from my deep sleep. Not in memory, but reality, and how it had changed after so many years.

The desert was gone. Buildings that towered maybe thirty or fifty stories high above. Dirt roads were made cement, with walking paths, metal poles, and metal carriages. People walked by, wearing the strangest clothing I had ever seen. They wore clothed shirts—some short sleeved, some long sleeved, and some with no sleeves. They wore the tightest leggings I have seen in my life (!), with footwear that I did not recognize because, well, they were not leathered sandals like everyone used to wear. The woman painted their faces now, and so did the men, but they were not on thetre, and nor were they gay (if that is rude to say, then my apologies).

Lights were all around, and that was fine because it was starting to get dark outside, but they were everywhere. They were the brightest colors; _absumo_, _galbinus_, _croceus_, and _caeruleus_. Apologies; let me translate: reds, greens, yellows, and blues.

Caius placed his warm hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at him. I still did not know him, but a nagging feeling said I knew him, but just did not recognize him. He directed me toward a metal carriage, with rubber wheels and a single wire sticking from the roof of the vehicle.

What an embarrassing conveyance.

He opened the door to the back, and encouraged me to climb in and buckle up. His voice was low, but soothing and kind.

He said, "It is time to go home, Evaris."

I did not know he knew my name, but that was alright because he seemed very nice and caring. I just nodded my head and climbed inside the vehicle. He "buckled" me in by pulling on a weaved-like belt with a metal something on the end, and he clicked that into something that was next to me. He instructed me not to press the red button (if that is what it is called), closed the door after I agreed, and walked to the other side.

Strange…

He opened the vehicle's door on the other side, near the front, and climbed inside. A steering wheel that was plastic? What ever happened to the wooden ones, where my father's horses pulled my grandmother's carriage? This time was strange and embarrassing to me. I did not understand anything.

The blond man pulled out a golden key—a simple palace key with ridges and jewels, and put it into a small slot behind and under the wheel. He turned the key forward, and I could hear a medium roar from up front, and it vibrated the entire vehicle. It was very odd being here, and I just wanted to unbuckle myself, open this blasphemy door, and head right back into the Lotus Hotel and Casino to play and play and play like I did for nine years, eleven months, one week, and three days. People did not look you in the eye when they walked by. And if they did, they gave you a cold stare and continued their way down the concrete walking path.

"—you, Evaris?"

My head was turned toward the tinted window. I looked at Caius, with his gentle smile, playful eyes, and equanimity, he looked like any other man I would have seen alone on dirt roads with his hand up and hollering for a carriage to stop. A hitchhiker of a sort. And I never knew I had turned away from reality for a moment—something I would do in the hotel.

I said, "I am sorry?"

His smile grew wider. It was like he could almost see right through me. "_Quomodo es, Evaris_?"

I smiled back when he spoke Latin, because I knew he wasn't like the rest. I knew I could trust him. "_Melior deversorium_."

Caius's eyes softened, and he turned around and pulled out of his parking space. He steered into a street lane, creating horn noises when a mystery vehicle drove in front of us, and continued on his way…

I do not remember most of our drive, but the scenery was astonishing as I watched patches of trees, bushes, and other plant life go by in a blur. Greens, browns, and blues blurred together the longer I stared, so I looked up to the sky. That was not boring and hazy. The sky was just there, and reminded me of the ocean, but when I thought of the ocean, I suddenly had a feeling of homesickness. I did not know why. I just felt sick and missed home.

The baby blue color of the sky never left, but I wondered why it was only blue and not green or purple. I guess that is a fool's question, but I have been asleep and need get out of my dead beat state. Everything seemed so quirky. I did not recognize anything—which scared me—and I did not like anything.

It did not take long to leave the states—that is what Caius had said fifty miles back. I had thought that since the Lotus Hotel and Casino was located on the outer boarders of Greece, that I would still be in my home country, but I was terribly wrong. The hotel was located in Los Angeles, Nevada. I have no memory of where that is, but I was very far from home, and going farther as Caius said that he was driving to Long Island, New York.

"It is the safest place for you, Evaris," he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

I had just noticed something—this curly-haired man has an accent of Europe. I know he is Roman, and he might even be Greek because of his tresses, but he has a simple accent! I thought that maybe I was the only one with an accent… Apologies; back to reality.

When he had said that it was the safest place for me, I guess I laughed because he looked at me in a small mirror that was above the dashboard (he had explained the simple things of a "car").

"Is protection a joke to you?" he asked, quite serious too. "You will be safe, remember, and be home. That is what you wish for, is it not?"

I stopped chuckling under my breath. "Of course," I said. "I wish to remember my early life, and to be home again."

Caius smiled kindly and stared at the road again. "Then you will enjoy where I am taking you."

We did not talk anymore after that, but he did play the radio. Strange devise, and it played terrible music, except for one song called _Summertime Sadness_ by Lana De Rey. It was a very good song.

* * *

Percy POV

I sat in the sand dunes after eating lunch. It was finally summer break, but I've been at camp for about a week now. I truthfully missed camp, and it was great to be back. There are so many new kids here now, that I was selected as the new Sword and Shield director. All I had to do teach any newcomers who cherry-picked swords instead of daggers or bows, and just clarified the basics of offense and defense. I loved it.

All the new cabins were finished being built, and the Hermes kids loved all the new space they had.

As I was thinking about all of this, I heard footsteps running toward me. I sat up when they reached me; and I looked up to see Nico hunched over with his hands on his knees and breathing heavy, as if he just ran around the camp's boarders.

"Percy," he wheezed. "Hurry. Caius brought in a new camper, and he wants you there." He straightened himself, but continued to pant from his run down here.

A new camper? Well, that isn't unusual, but if Nico, a son of Hades, had to run all the way down to the beach just to tell me that where was a new demigod among us, then it had to be important. Especially if Caius was asking for someone to attend, because he's usually a real laidback person to hang around; even for a god.

You see, Caius is the Roman god of heroes and heroine. The reason why he's Roman is because he is the half-blooded son of Neptune, Roman god of the sea and counterpart of Poseidon, my father. Caius is also (in a way) my half-brother, and was made a god about four thousand years ago in Rome by Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods…

I know. This was all confusing when I first heard it from him last year, but it sinks into your head after a while and you just pretty much just go with the flow.

Anyway, I walked with Nico to the Big House because, well, the kid was out of breath. Nico explained to me that the new camper had an extremely strong aura when she (he had mentioned that it was a girl) entered Camp Half-Blood, and that everyone practically backed out of her way when they saw her.

"Do you think she's a child of the Big Three?" I asked.

Nico and I were twenty yards from the Big House now.

"She has to be." That was all he said.

Another cousin or possibly another sibling. This was all so exciting, but yet strange at the same time as I would never consider having another brother or sister since children of the Big Three are rare.

We walked up to the Big House as Chiron spoke with Caius quietly on the porch and Mr. D sat lazily in a chair, sipping his diet coke with discontentment. I followed the wine god's gaze, and found that he was staring at a girl I've never seen before. Annabeth and Rachel Elizabeth Dare were talking with her, but I couldn't tell what they were talking about.

The unknown girl was about four inches shorter than Annabeth and about three inches shorter than Rachel. She had brown hair that reached almost to the ground, even swept over her shoulder. She wore a blue T-shirt, white jeans, and red Converse. I saw that her nails were painted a light turquoise.

Nico and I walked over, and I could hear my girlfriend and Rachel asking the girl where she was from, who she might think her parent was, and if any monsters followed her while coming to camp. The girl tried desperately to answer all of their questions, but Rachel's mile-a-minute chatting didn't let her get a chance to respond.

I intervened.

I walked up behind Annabeth and kissed her on top of her head. She turned her head and smiled up at me, and kissed me back, but on the lips. This year would be our fourth year dating, and I was still threatened every year about remembering our anniversaries.

Rachel stopped talking and looked up at me. She gave me a friendly grin, and then continued to torment this girl with questions.

"Do you know about the Greek gods then?" she asked.

The girl gave Rachel a dubious look, like the question was the easiest in the world. "Of course," she said. "I would not be who I am today if it were not for them." She said it with so much pride; I honestly thought she knew the gods and goddess personally, like they were her closest friends or something.

She looked about eleven or twelve years old, with a buttoned nose, round-almond eyes that were a blue-gray or blue-green color, pointed ears, and pale skin. Her T-shirt had the Superman symbol on the front, and there were rips all along her jeans. When she brushed her hair behind her ears, I could see that they were pierced twice with little silver balls.

This girl just looked like any other kid that you'd see out and about in the state, but the thing that separated her from the mortal teens out there was her aura. Nico was right—she had a freakishly strong quality about her. No camper got close; not even the Stoll brothers, and they're usually real sociable with new demigod (in their own traditional way [pranks]).

Wow…my concentration is bad today.

Nico stepped forward. I'd forgotten he was there (don't tell him I said that).

"What's your name?" he asked. It was pretty blunt, considering the questions Rachel and Annabeth were asking her, but I noticed that no one bothered to ask her what her name was.

"Evaristos Anasilus," she answered.

I could feel Annabeth tense under my touch. She stood up straighter, and I had to step back to prevent myself from falling backwards. I saw Nico wince slightly and rub his right ring finger. Rachel stopped talking in all—she had this stern face, as if she was trying her hardest to think of something.

"You mean…the queen of Athens? Sara Anasilus?" Annabeth questioned. I've never seen her edgy like this before.

Evaristos scrunched her eyebrows. "I do not know."

"I see you all have met Evaristos." Chiron clopped over to us, with Caius beside him. He always seems to come at the most of times, like "saved by the bell" or something. "Why not give her a tour of Camp Half-Blood? See to it that she understands the rules and grounds here," he ordered—well, _invited_, but it sounded like an order. That wasn't like him.

Annabeth didn't seem to argue. "Yes, sir," she said.

Rachel and her both took either side of Evaristos and led her away, pointing out different buildings or cabins, asking her about herself, and then pointing out buildings again. That seemed to go on until they were over the river that ran through camp.

I was about to follow them, when Chiron put a hand on Nico and my shoulder. We exchanged looks and knew that what Chiron was about to tell us wouldn't be good or bad news. So, he led us into the Big House with Caius still by his side. I heard Mr. D grumble something about 'injudicious Romans' and 'needing more diet coke'.

Now, I was worried.

Nico and I sat on the couch, while Chiron preferred his wheelchair; Mr. D had taken his rightful seat in a red leather chair made especially for him (in which his kids, Satyrs, and Nymphs had created), and Caius took a seat in a chair next to Chiron. No sound came from outside activities that were being played, but the changing Nymph-to-tree chimes hanging over the porch outside, creating an almost eerie sensation within the atmosphere.

Chiron glanced at Caius, as if expecting him to speak rather than himself. Now, this was interesting…

Caius turned toward Nico and I, and his azure eyes were a dull gray. "Well," he said, his voice hoarse. "Where do I begin?"

* * *

**Where _does_ it begin?**

**Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter. Reviews and all of that. Ciao!**

**I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus.**


	2. Chapter 2

Evaris POV

This Camp Half-Blood seemed really interesting, but Annabeth (she had told me her name) and Rachel (her as well) did not have to keep asking me if I was related to any god or goddess. I am not…I think. I was born to believe that they were a part of our world, but not as our family. I guess some things can change. It was not like I did not enjoy the questions or attention—I did. However, I just did not know how to answer many of their questions.

They gave me a tour of camp, and I did enjoy that every much. We passed a rectangular-shaped area with a strange net set up in the middle. Annabeth told me that it was a volleyball pit—used for playing the game 'volleyball'. None of the campers stopped to look, and I was grateful for that, because I was tired of being bombarded with questions.

Most of these campers were older than me. Some trotted around the area wearing orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their shaggy hindquarters—Satyrs. They all seemed to give me a wary eye; as if they expected me to transform into some horrible creature and kill them all…I would not, of course.

I looked back at the Big House (Caius had called it). It was no longer as small as I had realized—four stories tall, painted the color of the sky with white trimming. I stared at the brass eagle that spun depending upon the wind when something caught my sight, a shadow in the uppermost window. It was not like anything had moved, but I felt an uneasiness the longer I stared into the darkened window.

I asked, "What is up there?"

Rachel and Annabeth stopped chatting—mostly Rachel—and they looked up to where I pointed my finger. Annabeth's smile faded immediately.

"Just an attic," she said.

Not another word was exchanged and we continued along. I still wondered what was up there, even if there was nothing at all, but searching the source of my discomfort would be preferable.

We walked through an enormous field of strawberries, where campers picked bushels of berries as satyrs played peaceful music on their reed pipes. The strawberries that had been plucked began to grow back until they were plump and red like all the others. I would not say that this was my favorite place, but it seemed passive and a composed place to unwind.

It seemed as if Rachel would ask personal questions as Annabeth explained the different sites of the tour. She said that the camp grew 'a pretty nice' crop for exporting to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses," she elucidated. "And the strawberries take almost no effort." Well, I could obviously perceive that.

She mentioned Mr. D, the man who had been sitting on the shaded porch drinking his diet coke (whatever that may be), and how he had an effect on fruit-bearing plants: they grew crazy when he was around. It worked the best with grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing any, so they grew strawberries instead.

"Come on. We'll show you the woods, Evaris."

_Evaristos_, I corrected Rachel subconsciously. I honestly did not like it when the people I first meet use my moniker, but I guess it would be easier to pronounce other than my full name.

As we came closer, I become conscious of how vast the forest was. It must have taken up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and so thick, even Demeter herself would have been jealous. I had a sense that trees were not the only things living within the forest.

"The woods are stocked," Annabeth said. "You can try your luck, but you have to go armed."

"Stocked with what? Armed with what?" I asked.

Annabeth gave me a friendly smile. "You'll see. Capture the Flag is this Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?" Rachel seemed nervous.

"Annabeth, are you—"

"Yes Rachel. She has to participate in the game. All new campers have to. It's part of the rules." She asked me again," Do you have your own sword and shield?"

"…No," I answered. "I do not suppose that I do."

Annabeth nodded. "A size two might fit. We'll visit the armory later."

I had wanted to ask what kind of summer camp encompasses an armory, but I have already seen Satyrs and magical growing fruit—what else is there to witness? The tour continued. We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables, the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Annabeth said the camp holds sword and spear fights.

I raised an eyebrow. I did not believe a place such as here would consist of an arena.

"Cabin challenges and all of that," she said. "Not really lethal. Oh, and there's the mess hall." Annabeth pointed to an outdoor pavilion that was framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were dozens of stone tables. It had no covering. It had no ramparts.

Finally, they showed me the cabins. There were twenty of them as they were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side, but four cabins were added on both sides where the ends should have been. They were the most bizarre assortment of buildings I have ever seen—except each had a large brass number above the doors (odds on the left side and evens of the right side), they looked nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks. Number four had tomato vines snaking up the walls and a roof made from real grass. Number seven seemed to be made out of solid gold, which showed with a blinding light that it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field (Annabeth explained to me what one was when I had asked), dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a few posts with baskets on the ends of them.

In the center of the field was an enormous stone-lined fire pit. The hearth smoldered even though today's weather was quite warm. A young girl of about nine years young tended to the flames, nudging at the coals with a stick.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, number one and number two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums—big white marble houses with columns in front. Cabin one was the largest and grandest of the twenty. It had polished bronze doors that shimmered, and it looked as though lightning bolts streaked across them. Cabin two was more graceful and a little less grand, with slim columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

"Jupiter and Juno?" I guessed.

Rachel and Annabeth gave me a questioning look.

"If you were talking about the Roman deities. They're Zeus and Hera," Annabeth corrected me.

"Yes—right. Their compartments seem empty."

"Some are now, but no one stays in two." She never said if no person lived in cabin number one, but I would ask later.

It was as if each cabin had a different god, similar to a sort of talisman. Twenty cabins for the twelve Olympians and…more?

I stopped in front of a cabin to my left, number three.

It was not towering and potent like cabin one or cabin two, but it was a low and long building. The outer walls were a rough gray stone that were studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn from the bottom of the ocean floor. A trident hung over the door, nailed and framed with sea glass. My curiosity got the better of me and I took a peek inside the ajar entrance.

I caught the brackish aroma of the interior, similar to a breeze on the shore. The central walls glowed like abalone. There were six bunk beds—only two were seemed to be in use—with silk sheets turned down. This place reminded me of a very familiar place, but I could not put my finger on the precise name. It was a happy home.

Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was painted a bright red—a very spiteful paint job too, as if the color had been splashed on with pails and fists-full. The roof was lined with barbed wire, and a stuffed boar's head hung over the entrance way; its eyes seemed to pursue me wherever I walked. Inside I could see a bunch of malevolent-looking campers—male and female—arm wrestling and arguing with each other while a horrible sound blared from their cabin. The loudest was a young woman of maybe eighteen or even nineteen years young. She wore an orange camp T-shirt under a concealment-like cover. She zeroed in on me, giving an immoral scorn, but I would see that her eyes detained hesitancy. She was tall, clearly had an athletic build, with long brown hair held in a plait, and steady brown eyes.

I had a sudden thought of the half man and half horse. A strange string of memory, but he seemed oddly familiar. I asked, "Is Chiron _the_ centaur from—"

Annabeth smiled down at me. "From the stories? Trainer of Hercules and all that? Yeah, he is."

"Should not he be dead?"

Both girls stopped. "I honestly don't know is he _should_ be dead. The truth is, he _can't_ be dead. Eons ago, the gods granted him his wish for him to continue his work. He could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed him. Gaining and giving up, but he's still here, so we can only assume he's still needed."

Teaching for thousands of years would have to get boring after some time. I could never do it.

"Would it not become boring?"

"I don't think so," she said, "but he's stated that if does get depressing."

"Depressing?"

Any thought Annabeth might have had was interrupted by Rachel. "Oh, look," she said. "Percy's waiting for us."

A tall, very handsome young man, with jet black hair and bright sea green eyes stood in front of the last cabin on the left, cabin number eleven. He seemed very fit, muscular, and lean—a man worthy of Helen's hand. He wore an orange camp T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers (strange footwear). A tattoo of a trident and the letters SPQR were shown on the underside of his arm…

…I knew that symbol. It was an initialism from a Latin phrase, _Senatus Populusque Romanus_, which translated to "The Senate and People of Rome". I do not know how I knew this, but it seemed like a modern thought to me.

At any rate, we reached him and he looked at me with soft eyes. His hair was so messy; I would have guessed he had just gotten out of bed. Annabeth walked up to him and kissed the green-eyed boy on the lips.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Oh, boy," she sighed. "Anyway, Evaris, this is cabin eleven." She gestured in the direction of the entryway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all of the cabins, number eleven looked the most like a regular aged cottage. The doorsill was dilapidated, its brown paint chipping off. Over the doorway was a caduceus, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. Inside, campers lounged about, bunk beds were messed up and a few kids were arguing over stolen property.

_Mercury_, I thought.

"Well, good luck, Evaris," Rachel said. "I've got to go, but I'll see you guys at dinner."

She jogged away towards the forest.

I stood in the doorway, staring at each kid. They stared back, and I swear on Styx that some even backed away. I had not even done anything wrong. Some were sizing up.

"Well?" Percy prompted. "Go on."

I took a step and tripped coming in the door, making a complete fool of myself. There were a few snickers from the campers, but no one said anything. My cheeks were burning of embarrassment.

"Evaristos Anasilus, meet cabin eleven," Annabeth announced.

"Regular of undetermined?" somebody from the back asked.

I did not know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."

One or two groaned, but others just nodded and continued their activities.

"Hey, a new camper!" two boys said in union, walking forward but staying a clear distance from me. They both were tall and skinny with mops of curly brown hair that hung in their blue eyes. Like all of the kids in cabin eleven, they had upturned eyebrows, sarcastic smiles, and a gleam in their eyes. One boy seemed taller than the other—the only way for me to differentiate the two. They wore orange camp T-shirts with matching gray skin-tight pants (Caius called them "skinny jeans") and identical red shoes. They were obviously brothers.

"Howdy," the shorter brother greeted, saluting me. "You can have the low bunk beside Emily, right over there."

I looked to where the brothers were pointing, and saw a girl fluffing my bunk's pillows, whistling as she did so. She had long brown hair to her mid-back, warm brown eyes, peach skin, and a slim build. She was pretty, I thought, and much more natural than Venus.

Every person was busy, even the twin-like brothers. I did not know what to do next, so I left when I noticed Percy and Annabeth had retreated outside. They were around the corner of the cabin.

"—Caius's sister?" I hear Annabeth.

"I know it sounds crazy, but she's related to him." Obviously that was Percy.

Annabeth sighed. "Have you told her about this, Percy? I don't think we should keep her out of the dark."

"He only told us so we could get a better understanding, Annabeth. _You_ remember the prophecy Rachel recited, right?" She might have nodded. "Then you know that she might be who the prophecy is talking about…"

I had no idea who they were speaking about, but a nagging feeling in the back of my mind screamed—a whisper sort of scream—that it was me…

Certainly, I am not ready.

* * *

**The prophecy is uncoiling...! Maybe.**

**House of Hades...awesome book. Anyway, reviews, please. **

**_Vale (means "bye" in Latin)._  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Percy POV

This Evaristos girl was strange.

Caius had told Nico and me that she was his little sister, and a daughter of Neptune of that matter, which made her my half-sister (in a way). I told Annabeth after Evaristos—you know what? I'm just gonna call her Evaris, cause' her name is too long to pronounce. Anyway, I told my girlfriend about her and that's when the prophecy was involved.

A prophecy was told by Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Camp Half-Blood's Oracle. She recited it during practice really—Chiron was on the porch of the Big House with Mr. D, Annabeth and I were cuddled up on the pier, and most campers were doing their daily practices with monster maiming and sword and shield with Clarisse.

I won't get into it right now, but you get the idea, right?

Anyhow, right now Evaris and I are resting on the bleachers in the arena for her sword training. I was surprised she'd chosen suck a difficult (for those who've never used weapons before [Aphrodite Cabin]) weapon, but she handled it pretty well—at first.

The first move I taught her after a few rounds of sparring was the disarming technique Luke Castellan had taught me when I was her age: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon. A few new Hermes, Ares, Hephaestus, and Athena kids stood around us and listened.

"This is difficult," I said, raising my eyebrows. "I've had this used on me before, and most swordsmen have to take years to master this."

I demonstrated it to her in slow motion, making her sword clatter to the ground. She watched in awe and wonder, but her eyes moved constantly, as if she were thinking of the move as a blueprint or something. The Hermes kids cheered her on, the Ares kids just snickered, betting that she wasn't going to understand something so simple, and the Hephaestus kids just stood and watched.

"Now we're going to do it in real time," I said after Evaris retrieved her weapon. "We're going to keep going until one of us pulls it off, okay? Ready, Evaris?"

She furred her eyebrows at the nickname, but nodded. I came after her. With the edge of my sword, I hit it on the flat of hers. She blocked me with a late defense, but she was in the game and I could tell her half-blood senses were aware of what was going on. Her eyes were like Annabeth's and almost as intense too. She stepped forward and tried to thrust on her own, but I deflected it easily.

She's pretty good, I thought. Should I press her with more force or should I let things just settle out?

I noticed her weapon wasn't balanced in her hand; that she had to strain her wrists and whiten her knuckles to keep it up. I knew I could easily take her down, but her eyes finally locked with mine and I felt a feeling of distraught, a small nervous tugging in my gut.

Her blade hit the base of my sword and she twisted, putting her whole weight (which didn't seem like much) into a downward thrust.

Riptide dropped from my hands and rattled against the floor. The tip of her blade was about two inches from my unarmed chest.

The other campers were silent except for the Hermes kids. They cheered for their cabin mate, pumping their fists in the air.

Evaris's arm flung to her side, as if the sword were made of lead, and looked at me. "I am sorry," she apologized superfluously.

This even happened before, I thought. I could tell that the little adrenaline she had had disappeared, so I didn't press her any further.

"It's fine," I said. "No need to apologize." I turned to the rest of the young campers, seeing as they stood and stared astonishingly at Evaris. "Alright! Ten minute break, alright? So, no setting the Aphrodite girls' hair a flame (the Hermes kids sighed with disappointment). No going off of camp to battle monsters in the forest (the Ares kids grumbled). And _no_ trashing the Arena with scrolls and books (the Athena kids looked saddened)." None seemed happy, but broke with their cabin mates, leaving the Arena.

Evaris sat on the bleachers; her sword perched next to her. She seemed relaxed and just stared out at camp, getting a few Satyrs jumpy, so they trotted off nervously. I sat down next to her, and I could _feel_ her aura as took at seat. It was like a strange vibe had filled the space around us. I can see why Grover kept complaining about her the other day—saying she brought a dire sentiment and it was upsetting the strawberries.

She sighed. "Why do they fear me, Percy?" she asked, still staring at the camp. For the second time, I thought I saw her nails change color from baby blue to gray.

"Your, uh, aura," I said, not sure how to phrase my words. "It sort of sends out a strange vibe."

"A Strange vibe?" She raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Oh. Uh, well…" I trailed off, not sure what to say. "Well, you see, half-bloods have this aura about them that portrays their abilities and strength. You have a really strong aura, which means that you're probably a really strong demigod." I just hoped that sounded a bit helpful.

Evaris nodded. "Maybe," she said. She looked up at me. "Who is your godly parent?"

"Poseidon," I answered automatically.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You do imply Neptune, correct?"

I shook my head and our conversation stopped there. The Hermes, Ares, Hephaestus, and Athena kids started to come back from their break one by one. Evaris and I stood up as I told the group that for the rest of their training, they were just going to spar with each other. I watched from afar, helping if it was needed.

* * *

Friday afternoon, I sat with Nico and Jason at the lake after our near-death experience on the climbing wall. Jason had made it to the top fine, but sort of made Clarisse upset after he accidently stepped on her hand, and felt her wrath after almost falling into the lava pit below. Nico was fine until his grip slipped and he hit the back of his head against some lava rocks, seething a nice patch of his hair. I had gotten to the top before any of them, but lost my footing and fell to the ground with a good hit to my back and head. We all had smoking holes in our shirts, and Jason's hair had singed from his forearms.

We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving.

"Gods!" Nico sighed, falling back against the wooden berth. "I swear, Caius is nice and all, but does he really have to push us as hard as to complete the wall two times?"

Jason nodded his head, rubbing his bare arms. "It burned off all of my hair," he said sadly. "I'll be a Chimera without fur."

"I wasn't _that_ bad," I said. Nico and Jason both shot me glances. "Okay, maybe it was." I leaned back on my blistered hands. "Evaris tried it once—ended up smoldering her hair half a foot. She hasn't come out of her cabin since." I didn't know why she was so upset about her hair. It was too long to begin with anyway.

"Evaristos Anasilus," Nico said, staring up at the sky. "Have we agreed on that she's a child of the Big Three or just some preposterously influential demigod?"

"She has to be a child of the Big Three," Jason said. "Her aura is just too strong."

"Yeah, but she hasn't been showing any improvement in any activity," I said, waving back slightly at a smiling naiad. "Well, she could always be Roman. I mean, she did call my father Neptune." I already knew who her parent was.

"Percy," Jason said, getting my attention. "She _is_ Roman. That feeling of strength and power proves it, and the fact that she knew the markings on my arm, _and_ how she called Poseidon _Neptune_."

Nico sat up, his eyebrows scrunched together. "Wait," he said, "if she's Roman, then why is she at Camp Half-Blood?"

"She doesn't _have_ to be Greek to enter camp, Nico. Jason's here and he's all Roman."

We sat on the pier, staring out over the Long Island Ocean. I thought of the prophecy Rachel had foretold—the first line bugged me: _One shall awaken from the land of no time_. That had to be Evaris. Caius said he had just taken her from the Lotus Hotel and Casino, a place where time does literally stop for periods of time.

I think things are about to get interesting around here.

* * *

Evaris POV

That night subsequent to the banquet, there was more enthusiasm than usual. Was the time for Capture the Flag among us already?

After the plates were cleared away, the conch horn blew and we stood at our tables. The campers shouted and shouted approvals as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying an outsized silk flag. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with an owl painted above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, the Ares girl I had seen earlier and her siblings ran in with another flag, of identical size, but an extravagant red, painted with a bloody spear and boar's head.

I looked up at the taller of the Stoll brothers, Travis, he mentioned his name was. I did not want to raise my voice for only one person to hear, so I tugged lightly on his shorts, catching his attention. Waving my hand, he brought his head down towards mine.

"Those are the winning flags?" I asked. I was a bit embarrassed that I had bothered him with a pointless questions—it was too obvious.

Travis grinned. "Yep," he said. "Ares and Athena."

"Are they the winners of every game?"

"Sometimes," he said, "but often."

I looked out at the flags, staring at the bright red and the soft gray of the colors. A thought breached my mind. "If the opposing team captures the flag, then what will happen to the flags? Will the winning team repaint?"

Travis' brother Conner looked down at me. "You'll just have to wait and see, newbie."

The pet name, I did not enjoy. My abbreviated name would have been complementary pleasurable.

"Whose team are we playing on?" I asked.

The Stoll brothers gave me a sly look, as if they knew something that I did not. "We've made an alliance with Athena and Poseidon," they said in union (quite startling).

"Tonight, we get the flag from Ares," Travis said.

"And _you're_ going to help," Conner refined.

I did not take pleasure in the sound of that.

The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo, Hermes, Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus. Apparently, privileges had been made—bathe periods, chore schedules, the best opening for activities—in order to secure encouragement. Ares had allied themselves with every other cabin: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Nike, Iris, and Hypnos. From what I had seen, the Dionysus were quite good athletes, but there were only three of them. The Demeter kids had the edge with nature talents, but they were not very aggressive. The Aphrodite sons and daughters were nothing to fear. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake, doing their hair and gossiping. The Hephaestus kids seemed tough, and there were only six of them. They might be a problem. The Iris kids sat out most events, seeing how most were not very good at activities. The Hypnos campers never did emerge from their cabin. That left the Ares kids: a dozen of the largest, dreadfully malicious campers in this camp.

Chiron stomped his hoof on the ground, getting all camper's attention.

"Heroes! Heroine!" he announced. "You all know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magical items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He extended his arms, and the tables were unexpectedly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.

"_Sancti stercore_," I cursed in Latin. A tall boy, whom I believed was a son of Zeus, gave a wary eye. "Are we to truly use these?"

The brothers gave me a crazy gaze. "You want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five?" Travis said. "Oh, and here—Chiron thought these might fit you. You're on border control this game."

He handed me a shield larger than any I have seen; a caduceus in the center. It weighed so much; it fell to the ground once it reached my hand. I hoped to the goddess Victoria that I did not slow the win because simple protection caused my fail. My helmet, like all the helmets worn on our alliances, had a blue plume on top. Ares and the rest wore red.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

We cheered and shook our swords, following her down the path to the south woods. The red team shouted contemptuous heckling at us as they advanced off toward the north.

I managed to tread to the front where Annabeth, Percy, a boy with black messy hair and dark eyes, and the son of Zeus. All three looked like considerate leaders. "Hello," I greeted them, my helmet falling over my eyes. I pushed it back up.

Percy glanced at me, his sea eyes showing bright from underneath his helmet. He gave me a warm smile. "How's the equipment? It working for you?" he asked, point to my shield and helmet.

I nodded.

"Watch for Clarisse's spear," Annabeth said, her intense gray eyes staring ahead. "You don't want that thing touching you."

"Trust me," Percy said. "It doesn't feel good."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Did the Stolls tell you your job?"

"Border control," I answered.

The dark-looking boy spoke. "It's easy," he said. "Just stand by the creek and the keep the reds away—"

"Try not to get maimed," the son of Zeus interrupted. The two boys stared at each other knowingly.

"We'll win," Percy said. "Athena always has a plan up their sleeve."

I nodded, taking in every different statement that was being said.

The night was sticky and warm. The woods ere dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over a few rocks. She told me that a son of Apollo was to be stationed as a guard beside me, since I was fresh to this game. Then she and the rest of the team strewn into the foliage.

I felt like a complete fool standing here along. The Apollo kid was only thirty feet away, on the other side of the Athena flag. The plume helmet atop of my head and my huge shield made me feel ridiculous. I had chosen an unbalanced sword for this activity. The leather grip tugged on my hand like stone.

No one would dare to attack me, would they?

From away, the conch horn blew. Yells and hollers were heard in the woods, the clanking of metal, and kids fighting. The Apollo guard raced past me as if he had feet of Mercury. He leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.

_I am alone_, I thought nervously. _Alone in a forest with unpleasant, enemy campers_.

I did my best to raise my shield; I had the feeling someone was stalking me close by. Looking ahead into the darkness of the woods, I stared as hard as I could, not sure to charge or defend.

From across the creek, the underbrush erupted as two Ares, one Hephaestus, and two Nike warriors came out shouting from the shadows.

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse yelled. Her eyes glared at me through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red streams of lightning. Her sibling and the two Nike kids were only issued a standard, bronze sword, with the Hephaestus boy only wielding a large hammer—not that the thought made me feel any less frightened.

Four charged across the stream. The forge-working kid stood by, a look of helplessness in his eyes as he struggled to choose charging with his allies or aiding my assistance. I could always run or I could defend myself with the little training I obtained against vainglory campers.

A son of Nike, whom I remembered his name being Levi, swung his sword. I had no other choice but to sidestep his attack, but these kids were no fools. They had the idea of surrounding me. Clarisse forced her spear, aiming for my upper body. Lifting my shield with apprehension, I barely deflected her strike, but I quickly dropped my only protection as I felt a jolt of painful tingling all through my body.

Electricity. Her blasphemy of a sword could project _electricity_.

I fell to the ground.

The Hephaestus boy had crossed the creek, but I could not see where he had gone.

_After the flag_, I thought sullenly. That was the only goal the Stolls had given me, and already I had failed. Who knew a game could be taken so…dangerously? Sternly? Unsympathetically? I simply hoped that it would be over almost immediately.

I could not stand; the sudden shock of electrical energy and the immensity of my shield had drained my strength to a near nil. However, I managed to stand on my feet, my unbalanced sword in hand, but Clarisse knocked it aside with her spear as sparks flew in various directions.

The daughter of Ares grinned down at me. "Oh, look what we have here," she sneered. "A measly rookie."

I just stared up at her. I did not know what to say, and frankly, I did not feel in the temperament to strike up a conversation with an enemy. From the corner of my eye, I spotted a blur of black. It might have been the Hephaestus boy, but I did not want to let my hopes drop. It was, it was not. I simply wished that his cabin mates had plotted to be a traitor to the Ares, for the reason that I was deep in dilemma.

"Hey, idiots!" It was the run-away boy as I had anticipated. "Turn around so I can see your ugly faces!"

Unintelligent as the four campers were, they turned around, only to be drenched to the bone in watered dirt. The boy laughed his curly head off, holding his sides. I heard laughter within the forest, and I could only envisage the Mercury—Hermes cabin had something to do with this whole humiliation.

"Valdez!" Clarisse screamed, wiping mud from her eyes and mouth.

Levi and his brother, along with the Ares camper, shook their arms, trying to get the grime from themselves. It looked as though they had been dipped efficiently into a barrel of sludge.

I struggled to my feet, using my hands and the little upper body strength I had left. I picked up my unhinged sword, taking a single step back. My right foot was soaked to my skin. I had, without prior notice, stepped into the creek that ran through camp. However, I did not feel the shock I had taken from Clarisse's spear earlier, and my energy came as quickly as it had gone.

The laughter died down when many realized the game was still proceeding. Most ran into the forest; a mass of shadows and darkness. The only campers who stayed were my four attackers, the Hephaestus boy, Travis and Conner Stoll, and a daughter of Aphrodite.

_Had cabin ten turned on Ares' alliance treaty?_ I thought. However, they were quickly put to a halt once Clarisse and her associates made a line for me.

I did not move, for I was no fool. I knew unerringly what I needed to do in a position as this.

Clarisse's sibling took a step forward; the first to reach me. I swung my sword, the flat of its blade hitting the brute boy on the side of his head, clouting his helmet off. The new found strength I had hit him with sent him falling into the creek beside me as I took two steps back.

Levi and his brother charged me, their swords ready. I, on the other hand, slammed one in the chest with my shield and pushed him back, right into his sibling, but as Levi's sibling hobbled back, his sword cut my bare forearm. I quickly stepped back, my blood dripping into the sinuous creek. They backed up; taken aback a youngster almost half their height had safeguarded them back. Clarisse continued to charge forward, her eyes, from top to bottom, filled with abhorrence. The tip of her spear cracked with electricity. She drove force into her thrust, but I simply spun around her attack, and used the edge of my shield to hit her right in the chest. Clarisse fell to her defeat.

Yelling. Elate screams filled the woods. Percy ran through the brush, toward the boundary line with Ares' red flag lifted high for all to see. Two Hermes allies flanked his sides, and two Apollo campers following close behind, fighting off a few Nike and Iris enemies.

Clarisse stood shakily, cursing under her breath. Her sibling and the two Nike brothers got to their feet, hobbling as they did so.

"It was a trick," she said. "It was a lousy _trick_!"

They staggered after Percy, but Saturn did not have heart for them. Time had run out. The son of Poseidon raced across the creek into friendly territory, and everyone gathered. Our allied forces cheered for the win. The red flag glistened, turning to a burnished blue. Boar and spear were replaced with a large three-pronged spear—trident, the symbol of cabin three. All and sundry on the blue team picked up Percy and carried him around on their shoulders. Chiron trotted out from the forest, his horn in hand, and blew, for it was the end of the game. We had won.

I was on the subject of joining the celebration when Annabeth's voice caught my attention. "Not bad, Evaris."

I looked and found her sauntering towards me, her helmet tucked under her arm.

"Any idea where you got the tricks to fight like that?" she asked, her eyebrows rose.

Maybe it was rude, but I ignored her question and replied with one myself. "How do use those winged shoes?"

"What?"

I pointed to Travis and Conner's shoes. They were identical with white-feathered wings on the sides, flapping haphazardly as the brothers bounced with Percy on their shoulders.

Annabeth suppressed a hidden laugh. "I'll tell you their secret another day, but right now its celebration time—what happened to your arm?" She suddenly changed subjects.

"Levi's brother injured me," I stated. "A sword cut."

She pursed her lips, her gray eyes concentrated and philosophical as all children of Miner—Athena are.

"Yes, Steven did injure you, but your injury has already started healing."

I looked down at my pre-cut arm and saw that there was no blood. A pinky-sized white scar remained, but even that began to fade away. No other marks were left.

"That is…astonishing," I breathed.

Annabeth stared, her mind comprehending everything faster than ever. Her eyes traveled to my soaked feet—then the scattered weapons in the open area—to my feet—the weapons. "Step out, Evaris."

"Evaristus—"

She gave me a stern look, so I did not argue and stepped out of the creek. Immediately, my body felt exhausted. The pain Clarisse had shocked me with came back, and I more or less collapsed, but Annabeth balanced me.

"Oh, Styx," she cursed. "Maybe Percy was right…"

Inhaling sharply, Annabeth looked up, her gray eyes illuminated by an unforeseen blue glow. I had no thought of what she could be staring at, but it must have been shocking because the festivity had been brought to an end, and all were silent with their eyes gazing.

"…He _was_ right—your father…" Annabeth's voice trailed.

I glimpsed up. A vanishing symbol hovered above my head—a blue transparent trident. I chocked back a gasp. This mark was so, so familiar to me, but I could not remember where I had seen this before. Oh, how I loathe having no reminiscence of everything.

"It is determined," Chiron proclaimed.

All around, campers knelt before me, their heads bowed. Even Clarisse and her cabin knelt; still, they did not seem in high spirits about the act.

"My father?" I asked, speaking slowly.

The centaur smiled affectionately, his woodland eyes old and tired. "Poseidon," he said. "Earth-Shaker, Storm-Bringer, Tamer of Horses. Evaristos Anasilus, Daughter of the Sea God."

_Neptune_, I thought. Poseidon was wide of the mark, and a small influence in the back of my head agreed that it was. _Neptune_ was the god I had been thinking of back way when. He was—without a single doubt—my father. My _Roman_ father.

* * *

**So, I found out that I'm terrible at writing romantic stuff (I think you guys have noticed that in my writing). I guess I can't get the gif of it.**

**Anyway, chapter four will be up on...17 October 2013. I'll even add a random Halloween chapter for humor and-love? Eh. It's for this month's entertainment.**

**The House of Hades...best darn book EVER. Book five will be out in the fall of 2014. Have fun screaming at your computer screen, kitties. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out.**


	4. Chapter 4

Evaris POV

The morning after Capture the Flag, Chiron transported me into cabin three.

I shared with Percy, seeing as he was a son of Poseidon. It was a mess. Percy did not clean because he did not expect any half-blood to be claimed by their godly parent. Especially Poseidon—Neptune. The valuables I owned were slim, but I placed them carefully on an empty bunk, just across from Percy's. My portion seemed so bland compared to Percy's area.

Even with him here, I felt despondent.

Cabin eleven had started to feel like a genuine home, as if I was in the right place. To feel like a normal kid would—as normal as one may get when half god and half mortal—I had been separated out.

No one spoke of the claiming last night, and I was surely glad. All of the campers seemed…scared, maybe even alarmed. They cleared away from me as much as possible, but it was not like they had not done it before—I frightened them for some odd reason. The Hermes, Ares, Vulcan—Hephaestus, and Apollo sword apprentices were nervous to spar with me after what I had done to Clarisse, her brother, Levi, and Steven in the woods, so my lessons with Percy became one-to-one. He pushed me with problematical movements, and Jason (who is a son of _Jupiter_, not Zeus) even added to my training, saying how I needed Roman and Greek swordsmanship. Both were undaunted to bruise me in the course of action.

"Since you're a kid of the Big Three," Percy said, as we were moving onto flaming torches and spears. "You're gonna need all the training you can get."

Jason was right beside Percy, agreeing more than ever. "Thirty more repetitions."

Annabeth gave me lessons on speaking Greek in the mornings, but she always seemed preoccupied with her thoughts. When I tried starting a conversation with her, she would stare at me.

After lessons, she would mutter to herself: "Quest…the prophecy…time…"

Clarisse had stayed away, but her glares made it optimistic that she still had hate for her loss during the game. Fights were never my vogue, despite the fact that it was my only wish that I would rather than to be disregarded.

Only Percy, Jason, Leo, Piper, and Annabeth enjoyed my company.

I slept early, receiving an untimely nightmare.

Darkness.

That is the only description of where I was. It was without sunlight, and the shadows overruled it all. All around, black rocks formed the ground and the air seemed to pull the energy from my body. My soul was not safe here as all hope was lost in this place.

A river flowed near; I could hear the soft roar of its water. However, once I turned, I found myself face-to-face with a woman. She had a full mane of luscious hair, rich auburn in color. She looked almost angelic. The woman's eyes were an icy blue, but old and wise and her skin was surprisingly ordinary. She wore an earth-green Roman toga, a single golden braid laced around her waist.

She wielded no weapons, but held a lamp in her hand with a single golden candle burning.

_Moneta_, I thought.

"Welcome, Evaristos Anasilus, daughter of Neptune," the woman spoke, her voice soft and quiet. "I am Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. Here, you stand before my river."

This was the Greek counterpart of Moneta. Greek or Roman, she was considered the most powerful goddess in her time. However, in modern times, she is largely forgotten; lost in the mists of time. I do not know much of her, sadly.

"As you might know, I am also the mother of the Muses," Mnemosyne continued. She turned toward her flowing river. "Memory…some believe it as a gift that distinguishes humans from the other creatures in the animal world. Allows humans to reason, to predict and anticipate outcomes, and is the very foundation for civilization."

I stepped carefully beside the goddess who stared at her reflection in her river. I did not know what to think of the situation at hand, but I thought that since this was only a dream, it would not hurt to go along with it.

"Mnemosyne," I said, "why have I come here?" I could not help but ask.

The goddess closed her eyes. Her flame fluttered, almost creating unmitigated darkness. Her eyes opened, only for them to appear deep blue, rather than icy.

"To drink, of course," she said. "You do not commit to memory of your past, is that correct?"

"How do you—"

"A child of the past," Mnemosyne stated. "My child Clio knows all of history, young one. She knows of your birth, your childhood, and your time of the Lotus." Her eyes were like the rough seas. "Caius has not told you?"

It took my strength of will to swallow. "Told—told we of what?"

Mnemosyne bowed and shook her head, the soft waves of her auburn hair swaying to and fro. "God of Heroes and he does not acknowledge one…a sibling at that!"

The river's edges splashed from the goddess sudden outburst. The candle's flame flickered wildly, as thought there was a breeze.

A sibling to the god of heroes. Surely Caius mentioned he was the deity of male and female protagonists, but never a sibling of me. Never had he said who his father or his mother was, nor any _siblings_ he might or might not have. I had never asked because my thoughts had never crossed the subject.

Memory.

If only I could recall my past—my early time, then I may know who I truly am. A child of the past, Mnemosyne had said, and to wonder all this time…

"My dear," the goddess said, "have you no memory of your business with me? Why your dream has contacted me instead that of sugarplums and dumplings?"

I shook my head.

"Then drink, Evaristos," she said. "Imbibe my river. River of Memory."

My feet would not move, but I knelt. I gave surety, I did not wish to, but it was as if my body had a mind of its own. I placed my hands together and motioned to cup Mnemosyne's water into my palms. However, I ceased and voices whispered in my ear, filling my head.

_Do you honestly wish to remember your past?_ A child-like voice sighed in the back of my mind.

_Your task is useless, child of Rome_, another murmured.

_You will die._

_Breathe your last breath._

_Perish._

**_Enough!_**

My thoughts, my dream. They were interrupted when someone—something—shook my shoulders.

I woke up staring into the sea-green eyes of my half-brother Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. Not the son of Neptune.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He looked concerned, and when I did not answer, Percy asked me again, "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yes," I replied jadedly. My head felt like air and my legs ached. "Yes," I said again. "I am fine—okay—alright."

I glanced out a window and saw that it was bright out, during the afternoon maybe. I had slept through most of the day, dreaming to an incomprehensible nightmare (if I could even call it that anymore). The vision told me almost nothing, though the river was that of memory—I would be able to obtain my early life.

Percy put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked for the third time in…a minute of time? "You were mumbling something about Minasummary, memory, and paprika—"

"You were listening to our conversation?" I asked. He was there? Had he been hiding within the shadows?

Percy knitted his eyebrows together, as if he were looking at something difficult to read. "_Our_ conversation? Who were you talking to?"

An alerting notice screamed within my head, warning me not to mention my dream to him. I did not listen, naturally.

"Mnemosyne," I said. "She is the Greek goddess of memory."

Percy's eyebrows rose, his green eyes semi wide. "Uh, right." He coughed awkwardly. "Anyway, I just wanted to get you up for today's activities." Grinning, Percy padded my shoulder. "Time for the rock wall."

I felt my hair—smoldered from my last attempt on the rock wall. My hair now reached the back of my knees. I was starting to extremely dislike being a half-blood now.

* * *

Caius POV

For days, I've been expecting Mr. D (ugh, maybe not) or Chiron (there we go) to summon Evaris to the Big House. Now that she was claimed by Neptune—or would that have been Poseidon—the other gods have been debating whether or not to punish her for existing. However Neptune—or Poseidon (it was kind of hard when their Roman and Greek forms kept changing from one to the other) had stated very clearly that he wanted his daughter alive for the prophecy.

_Oh, boy_, I thought, taking a sip of mint tea as I sat in the Big House. _This is _not_ going to be an easy year for her. If she even lives to see this year's fireworks._

The prophecy…gods.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare's prophecy has been repeating in my head since I first heard it: "_One shall wake from the land of no time; they will drink of the Mnemosyne _(ni – mahz – eni, you little dyslexic chumps)_. He of Heroes shall fall at the hand of Him. An enemy of He shall raze the camps._"

Everything about it just cried danger, but it was written within Evaris's fate. At least, that's what Apollo had said when I'd last spoken to him. He seemed busier than ever, with guiding the dead to Hades, prophesying random events, and speaking awful haikus.

Here's just an example:

"_There is no second,_

_I am watching you_

_In the awesome sky."_

After I heard it, I got two messages, and I ran from both of them. Sure, Apollo has had a few male affairs. Sure I wasn't straight, but I wasn't really feeling comfortable when he said 'I'm watching you' and then glanced at me. Not my best day.

I spent most of my hours at Camp Half-Blood rather than Camp Jupiter, but I guess my Greek side just felt more at peace here in Long Island.

_Love will bloom. It always has._ Cupid's voice whispered in the back of my head. He was the Roman god of love, but I'd just call him overrated. That guy was a creep in my eyes, and his face…I don't think I'll ever get his blood red eyes out of my head, as if every Valentine in the freaking world was squeezed into his orbs.

_Only the Oracle_, I thought, abandoning my loving thoughts. _She'd have to explain Evaris's quest._

* * *

Percy POV

Evaris and I came from the climbing wall and...well, let's just say that the lava doesn't like Evaris's hair very much. I decided we would head over to the Aphrodite cabin so she could get her singed ends sniped off, and that would give me a chance to sneak off to discuss that prophecy with Annabeth and Chiron.

We walked across the field to cabin ten. Piper stood outside, her dagger unsheathed as she stared into its reflection. I had to admit, that weapon freaked me out. So many times it told the future, and it was usually always true. She stared as hard as she could, but it seemed she wasn't getting anything because her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips pursed.

"Hey, Piper," I called, catching her attention. She fumbled with sheathing Katoptris. "I was wondering if you could give Evaris here a little haircut."

Piper smiled; her loving nature so contagious that Evaris and I couldn't help _but _smile back at her. "Sure," she said. "Evaris, why don't you find a seat in front of a mirror, alright? I just need to speak with Percy real quick."

Evaris nodded and stepped inside Barbie Wonderland. The cabin was pink with a pink door, lace curtains and potted carnations by the windows. I could smell the heavy scent of perfume even from outside. I don't know how Piper could stand any of it.

Speaking of Piper; she closed her cabin door so it was only her and I. She unsheathed Katoptris and held it in her hands, as if it were made of glass instead of Celestial bronze. My previous thought was wrong. Piper _did _see something within her dagger's reflection. Her reaction might have been confusion or misperception.

Her hands started to shake ever so slightly. "Percy," she said. "The prophecy...and Evaris—"

"They're connected. I knew it!"

"Yes..." She trailed off. "Maybe I should tell you what I saw before you start making conclusions of your own."

I groaned. "You're starting to sound like Annabeth right now."

Piper grinned, her kaleidoscope eyes filled with delight. "Mhmmm," she said. "Anyway, what I saw is sort of confusing, since I don't know much about her family." Piper looked into her dagger, the sun's reflection creating a streak of light across her face. "A tall man with long hair and blue eyes dressed in Roman armor. His back is turned and he's holding something, but I'm not sure what."

"What about the background?" I asked. "What do you see about that?"

Piper narrowed her eyes; her whole concentration was set into this sight. "Some beach in Florida, I think." She brought the dagger away from her face and sheathed it back into her scabbard. "I'm sorry, but that was all I saw."

"Okay," I said, nodding my head. "A complete stranger who is _somehow_ related to Evaris with long hair and blue eyes, holding some sort of object, and who is in Florida...that, Piper, is called an Enigma."

Before she could roll her eyes, someone from the cabin knocked on wood, and Piper and I turned to see Evaris standing in the door's frame, her hair still crisped at the ends. She looked confused and I wondered if she heard our conversation. Thank the gods, she didn't.

"Piper, can you please cut my ends to this time?" she asked.

Piper's smile was motherly and warm. "Sure," she said.

* * *

"There."

Piper set down the pair of scissors, her work done. She brushed her hands off on her jeans, unbuttoned an apron she'd put around Evaris.

Evaris sighed with pleasure at the sight of her hair. It was now to her lower back, rather than her knees or her ankles. Now that I was closer to her, I couldn't see any resemblance to us being siblings at all, even if we were only half related. She had these eyes that seemed to go from blue-gray when indoors to blue-green when outside. Her skin wasn't tan, but rather pale (probably from staying in the Lotus all those years) and her hair was brown and straight rather than black and wavy.

The daughter of Aphrodite let out a small chuckle. "I never pictured you to be so into your hair, Evaris."

"Yes," Evaris answered, twiddling her thumbs. "Alas, to grow one's hair is a tradition and is widely honored." She sounded like a lost poet, as her voice was halfheartedly speaking. "To cut it...that would be outlandish."

"How so?" Piper asked.

"What I can recall," Evaris mumbled, "is that to have long hair is a sign of childhood and the stage of...to grow up." She paused, demonstrating with her hands what _to grow up_ would look like. "And long hair simply compliments a woman's features," she continued.

Piper and I laughed _out loud_ at this. Here was this little girl, who wasn't much younger than Hazel Levesque, flipping her hair back like a dramatic Drew Tanaka. It was a good thing she was with her sisters down at lake for their "daily tan session".

Our laughs and giggles were interrupted when someone cleared their throat.

Malcolm stood in the cabin's doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in training armor, no doubt from practicing with the Ares kids, considering his hair was dirty and sticking out in random places and cuts decorated his face, arms, and legs.

"Chiron asked me to bring you guys to the Big House," he said, glancing at Evaris and I.

Putting the scissors and apron away, Piper had her little area cleaned up within the time it took me to stand up and for Evaris to comb her fingers through her newly cut hair.

The son of Athena urged us to come with him, and we did. Saying our good-byes to Piper, the three of us made our way across the fields, past target practice, and through a losing race between a new camper and a tree nymph.

Malcolm, Evaris, and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Mr. D sat at the pinochle table, deciding to return from Olympus. He wore his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his diet coca-cola in hand. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. The two were playing against invisible opponents—two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "If it isn't Peter Johnson and Eve Anderson."

I rolled my eyes at the god's forgetfulness of my name, but I wasn't sure how Evaris would cope with that. From her scrunched eyebrows and pursed lips, she looked more confused than annoyed.

"My name is not Eve Anderson. It is Evaristus Anasilus."

Malcolm bit his bottom lip. He and I both knew Dionysus didn't like being corrected.

We waited.

Mr. D sighed inwardly. "Come closer," he said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father—"

"Shunt the name, Sire," Evaris said. "_Neptunus_."

Dionysus's form flickered from his regular self to his Roman appearance. His eyes shown a fiery red and his belly stuck out sorely. His diet Cola turned into diet Pepsi. Mr. D—or should I say _Mr. B_—held the side of his head as his form flickered back and forth, from Greek to Roman. His Greek appearance finally subsided and he gave Evaris a hard glare.

"If I had it my way," Mr. D said through teeth, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. Sweep up the ashes and be done with ye'. However, Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spur-of-the-moment ignition _is_ a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron said.

Dionysus sighed and waved his hand, as if Chiron's words were nonsense. "Drivel," he said. "The lass wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to contain myself. I'm thinking of meandering you into something more practical, like a dolphin instead, transfer you back to your father."

Great, I thought. _He's using the dolphin threat_.

"Mr. D—" Chiron sighed.

"Oh, alright," Dionysus surrendered. "There's one more alternative, but it's deadly imprudent." Mr. D rose, and the invisible playing cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the girl is still here when I get back, I'll metamorphose her into a Pacific white-sided dolphin. Do you understand? And Evaristus Anasilus, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sagacious choice than what Chiron considers you are obliged to do."

The god of wine picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it turned into a security pass. He snapped his fingers. The air folded and bent around him. I took a glance at Evaris and saw her looking intently at Mr. D's departure. I looked back at Mr. D as he became a wind and was gone, leaving the smell of freshly-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled halfheartedly, his eyes weary and overwrought.

"Malcolm, my boy. Your assistance is complete here. Please return to your teachings."

Malcolm nodded and jogged toward the arena, joining his siblings and any new campers that might've come.

"Come. Sit."

We did.

Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use. He looked at Evaris ominously, and I had an instant feeling this conversation was going to be about the prophecy.

"Tell me, Evaris," he said. "What did you make of your dream last night?"

* * *

**I'm sorry it took so long to update this chapter. Writing a fanfiction in the middle of high school probably isn't a good idea, considering I get mountains of homework each night (that's an exaggeration, but that's what it feels like).**

**The next chapter gets more descriptive about what's going on.**


	5. Chapter 4 -EXTRA-

**I finally found my original prophecy I was going to use for this story, but since I already used another one, I'm gonna give you guys a chance to pick which one you would prefer.**

**This one:**

**"**_One shall awake from the land of no time._

_They will drink of the Mnemosyne._

_He of heroes shall fall at the hand of Him,_

_An enemy of He shall raze the camps._**"**

**Or this one:**

**"**_A child of Rome and Greece shall derive into time,_

_And seek memory in the Mnemosyne._

_The ocean stirs to seek retaliation._

_The sea, one will rescind against._

_From and to Greece, ye' shall be unfenced_.**"**

**The first prophecy will be 1 and the second one will be 2. Just comment your choice and the one with the most comments will be in the story.**

**Thank you for reading. Now, eat my shorts.**


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